The present invention relates generally to electronic gaming devices, such as slot machines, and more particularly, to a system for permitting team play of such electronic gaming devices.
Gambling is becoming an increasingly popular form of entertainment, offering gamblers many game alternatives, including numerous table games, such as poker, blackjack and roulette, and various electronic gaming devices, including slot machines, video poker devices, video keno devices and video blackjack devices (hereinafter, collectively referred to as xe2x80x9cslot machinesxe2x80x9d). Slot machines are an important source of income for the gambling industry. Accordingly, casinos constantly search for new gaming strategies and features to distinguish their slot machines from competitors in the industry, and to provide additional incentives for slot machine players to play longer and to return to the casino on their next trip.
Unlike table games, where a group of players typically play against one another or against the casino (often referred to as the xe2x80x9chousexe2x80x9d), conventional slot machines have traditionally been an individual game. A number of table games, such as blackjack and craps, encourage a team-like mentality, where a group of players play against the house. The success of slot machines can be attributed, at least in part, to their passive and isolated nature, relative to the more competitive and social nature of table games. Many potential players, however, are averse to the isolation typically associated with slot machine play and the inability to interact with other people for help or moral support.
In order to increase the maximum award that can be profitably awarded by an individual slot machine, many casinos have introduced progressive slot machines. Progressive slot machines are a group of linked slot machines that permit players to win a relatively large progressive jackpot prize, in addition to their non-jackpot winnings at each individual gaming machine. The progressive jackpot prize is determined by allocating a portion of the money wagered at each individual linked slot machine to the progressive jackpot prize sum. Thus, the progressive jackpot value continues to increase until a player hits the progressive jackpot prize at one of the linked machines. Progressive slot machines may have the unintended result of encouraging a quasi-competitive environment where players compete against each other for the progressive jackpot prize. Once the progressive jackpot prize is awarded to a player, the progressive jackpot prize amount is reset, typically to a predefined initial progressive jackpot prize value.
Unfortunately, however, progressive slot machines have experienced only marginal success in increasing slot machine play at many casinos, since the large progressive jackpot prize is typically awarded infrequently. In addition, the play of progressive slot machines continues to be primarily an individual game. Even though progressive slot machine players compete, to a certain extent, for the progressive jackpot prize, the primary competitive component of progressive slot machine play remains the player against the individual slot machine. Furthermore, to the extent that progressive slot machine players compete for the progressive jackpot prize, there is no cooperative effort among players or other positive social interaction. Thus, it has been found that the competitive and social aspects of progressive slot machine play do not fully satisfy the expectations of many players.
In addition, while playing progressive or conventional slot machines, players can easily hit an xe2x80x9cunlucky streakxe2x80x9d and lose a significant amount of money in a short period of time. There is currently no effective way for players to protect themselves. The successful play of one progressive slot machine player, for example, will typically not help reduce the losses of other progressive slot machine players. Although gambling loss insurance programs are available, such programs are not widely utilized and require an advance payment that some players are reluctant to provide.
Sports are another popular form of entertainment, offering both active and passive sports enthusiasts many game alternatives. Many people, of course, are attracted to sports for their competitive and social aspects. Golf, for example, is often played in a tournament environment where players compete against one another, with many golf tournaments incorporating a team component. The popular xe2x80x9cbetter ballxe2x80x9d golf tournament format, for example, permits the team score for each golf hole to be the lowest number of strokes obtained by any team player for a given hole. Another variation is the xe2x80x9cbest ballxe2x80x9d format, where the best field position of any team player on each stroke is utilized by all team players for the subsequent stroke. Thus, in both tournament formats, a group of players are able to play a round of golf as part of a cooperative team, competing against other teams. While the xe2x80x9cbetter ballxe2x80x9d format spreads the risk of one or more bad holes among all the players on the team, the xe2x80x9cbest ballxe2x80x9d format spreads the risk of one or more bad strokes among all the players on the team.
As apparent from the above-described deficiencies with conventional slot machine systems, a need exists for a system that permits team play of slot machines and increases player interaction. A further need exists for a system that increases the competitive and social aspects of slot machine play. Yet another need exists for a system that spreads the financial risk associated with slot machine play among a plurality of players.
Generally, according to one aspect of the invention, a plurality of slot machines and a slot server enable team play of the slot machines by a plurality of slot machine players. The game results of each player on a given team are combined in a predefined manner to obtain a team game result. The game results of each player may be combined on a xe2x80x9cper-spinxe2x80x9d basis, or the game results may be collected for each team player over an entire play session, with the net result of each team player combined on a xe2x80x9cper-sessionxe2x80x9d basis.
In a xe2x80x9cper-spinxe2x80x9d embodiment, each team player initiates play (on the same or separate slot machines), and the individual game results of each team player are combined in a predefined manner to obtain the best team game result, with the best team game result being the one that provides the highest resulting payout, for each spin. The individual game results of each team player can be combined by selecting the symbol obtained by the team players in each reel position that provides the team game result with the highest resulting payout. Alternatively, the individual game result of the team player providing the highest resulting payout can be selected as the team game result.
In a xe2x80x9cper-sessionxe2x80x9d embodiment, each team player continues play for an entire play session, and the net result of each team player is analyzed in a predefined manner on a xe2x80x9cper-sessionxe2x80x9d basis to obtain the team session result. A session can be defined, for example, in terms of (i) the number of plays per session; (ii) the duration of the session; or (iii) the number of plays until a predefined event occurs. The team session result can be defined, for example, as (i) the highest individual net result of a team player after an entire session; (ii) the average of the net result of each team player after an entire session; (iii) the sum of the highest five payouts awarded to any team player during the session; or (iv) the sum of each of the highest payouts for each spin.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well as further features and advantages of the present invention, will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description and drawings.